For decades professionals have found business card swapping to be a useful way to gain new contacts at trade shows. Since you know ahead of time that potential clients and potential colleagues will be asking for your business card at your next event, you can master a few tricks beforehand that will help you make the most out of exchanging business cards. The vast majority of business cards end up in the trash can, and your goal should be to keep your business card out of the trash can.
As a general rule, you should not give your business card to just anyone. By quickly evaluating the situation, you can determine whether the person is genuinely interested in your products and/or services or if they are merely trying to collect business cards. Many people attend trade shows in order to create an email marketing list from the business cards they collect. In a recent post at LawyerCasting, the writer accurately points out that although it is common practice for spammers to create email lists from business cards they collect, giving someone your business card does not amount to opting in to an email marketing program.
Your business card should be designed with at least one side that can accept ink from a ballpoint pen. Slick, shiny business cards look great, but it has always been important for me to jot down little notes so that I can remember exactly which person is which when I go to contact them at a later date. This is especially important if you’re collecting leads at the event in the form of business cards, as it will be helpful for you to write notes on the back of your potential client’s card. When handing your card to an attendee, it may be useful to jot down what type of discount you have promised them, what type of products and/or services they are interested in, or any other particular information that you could not have printed directly on the card.
Business cards should be simple, clean, and stylish. The feel of your business card should match the overall feel of your trade show marketing program. Consistency is extremely important in any marketing program, and your business card is not an exception to this rule.Take a look at my personal business card, and you’ll see that it blends well with the overall feel of our website as well as our blog:
